Sanchez presses Government for answers on Rooke elderly care project

Shadow Minister for Care Atrish Sanchez raised questions over the future of the Rooke elderly care facility during her budget address, calling for greater transparency over its cost, operation and role in Gibraltar's elderly care provision.

Ms Sanchez said the development had originally been presented as an elderly residential care facility to help meet the needs of Gibraltar's ageing population and had been linked publicly to Mount Alvernia and wider elderly care services.

She said that years later, despite costing tens of millions of pounds, there was still no clarity on the project's final cost or how it would operate.

“At one stage, we were told there had been a survey, or some form of exercise, with residents at Mount Alvernia, and that very little interest had been expressed by residents wishing to move to Rooke,” she said.

“Then, more recently, we were told there is now a letter signed by 57 Mount Alvernia residents and or family members expressing an interest in moving to Rooke.”

“So which is it?”

She welcomed the Government's confirmation that no resident would be forced to move from Mount Alvernia or any Elderly Residential Services facility against their wishes, but questioned whether that commitment remained in place.

“Genuine choice requires proper information,” she said.

“It requires residents and their families to know what the options are, who will provide the care, what level of care will be provided, what the staffing model will be, and whether the facility is suitable for their needs.”

“The Government cannot have it both ways. It cannot present Rooke as a major social infrastructure project when it wants political credit for it, but then retreat behind the phrase ‘privately owned’ when asked difficult questions about cost, funding, operation and accountability”

“If this project has involved Gibraltar Savings Bank-linked funding, if it has been sponsored under the National Economic Plan, if it is intended to meet a public care need, and if vulnerable elderly residents may ultimately be affected by decisions about it, then it is plainly a matter of public interest.”

“And where there is public interest, there must be public accountability.Ms Sanchez also criticised the Government for failing to provide updated figures on expenditure during the current parliamentary session.”

She said the public was entitled to know how much had been spent, how much had been lent, who had provided the funding, what repayment arrangements were in place and what financial exposure remained for the Gibraltar Savings Bank, Government-owned companies and taxpayers.

She added the public should know what the Government’s plans are and that the lack of information provided was “simply not good enough”.

"After all these years, after all these delays, and after all these millions of pounds, Gibraltar's elderly residents, their families and the taxpayers deserve clear answers," she said.